1
|
Gao Y, Pan B, Jia H, Zhang Y, Wang S, Wang Y, Zhang S, Li M, Wang A, Wang X, Zhao K, Zhang Z, Sun J, Guo D, Liang Z. PD-L1 expression in ovarian clear cell carcinoma using the 22C3 pharmDx assay. Diagn Pathol 2024; 19:82. [PMID: 38879528 PMCID: PMC11179196 DOI: 10.1186/s13000-024-01510-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), well known for its chemoresistance to platinum-based chemotherapy, exhibited a good response in clinical trials of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. By assessing PD-L1 expression, we sought to determine the potential therapeutic benefit of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in OCCC. METHODS AND RESULTS The retrospective study included 152 individuals with OCCC between 2019 and 2022 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Paired tumors of primary versus recurrent lesions (17 pairs from 15 patients) or primary versus metastatic lesions (11 pairs from 9 patients) were also included. The 22C3 pharmDx assay and whole sections were used for PD-L1 immunohistochemical staining. Pathologists with experience in premarket clinical trials evaluated PD-L1 expression based on various diagnostic criteria (TPS 1%, CPS 1, or CPS 10). The number and percentage of positive PD-L1 cases were 34 (22.4%, TPS ≥ 1%) and 59 (38.8%, CPS ≥ 1), respectively. Thirty-three (21.7%) of the cases had high PD-L1 expression (CPS ≥ 10). Half of the platinum-resistant patients (11/22) were PD-L1 positive (CPS ≥ 1). In addition, positive PD-L1 expression (CPS ≥ 1) was related to clinicopathological characteristics that represented a worse prognosis, such as advanced stages, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis (p = 0.032, p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, separately). PD-L1 was expressed equally or more in the recurrent lesion compared with its matched primary lesion. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, anti-PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are a promising therapeutic choice for OCCC. For evaluation of PD-L1 expression, CPS is more recommended than TPS. Evaluation of recurrent lesion was still suitable and predictive when the primary tumor tissue was not available. Distant metastatic lesions can serve as alternative samples for PD-L1 evaluation, while usage of lymphatic metastatic lesions is not recommended.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yike Gao
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Boju Pan
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Hongbao Jia
- School of Statistics, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Shu Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetric & Gynecologic Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Yuming Wang
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Sumei Zhang
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Mei Li
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Anqi Wang
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoxi Wang
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Kun Zhao
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zixin Zhang
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Sun
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
| | - Dan Guo
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhiyong Liang
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Preetam S, Mondal S, Priya S, Bora J, Ramniwas S, Rustagi S, Qusty NF, Alghamdi S, Babalghith AO, Siddiqi A, Malik S. Targeting tumour markers in ovarian cancer treatment. Clin Chim Acta 2024; 559:119687. [PMID: 38663473 DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2024.119687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Ovarian cancers (OC) are the most common, lethal, and stage-dependent cancers at the global level, specifically in female patients. Targeted therapies involve the administration of drugs that specifically target the alterations in tumour cells responsible for their growth, proliferation, and metastasis, with the aim of treating particular patients. Presently, within the realm of gynaecological malignancies, specifically in breast and OCs, there exist various prospective therapeutic targets encompassing tumour-intrinsic signalling pathways, angiogenesis, homologous-recombination deficit, hormone receptors, and immunologic components. Breast cancers are often detected in advanced stages, primarily due to the lack of a reliable screening method. However, various tumour markers have been extensively researched and employed to evaluate the condition, progression, and effectiveness of medication treatments for this ailment. The emergence of recent technological advancements in the domains of bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics has facilitated the exploration and identification of hitherto unknown biomarkers. The primary objective of this comprehensive review is to meticulously investigate and analyze both established and emerging methodologies employed in the identification of tumour markers associated with OC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Subham Preetam
- Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST) Dalseong-gun, Daegu 42988, South Korea.
| | - Sagar Mondal
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Jharkhand, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834001, India.
| | - Swati Priya
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Jharkhand, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834001, India.
| | - Jutishna Bora
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Jharkhand, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834001, India.
| | - Seema Ramniwas
- University Center for Research and Development, Department of Biotechnology, Chandigarh University, Gharuan, Mohali 140413, India.
| | - Sarvesh Rustagi
- School of Applied and Life Sciences, Uttaranchal University, 248007 Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India.
| | - Naeem F Qusty
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Saad Alghamdi
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Ahmad O Babalghith
- Medical Genetics Department, College of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Abdullah Siddiqi
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Makkah Park Clinics, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Sumira Malik
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Jharkhand, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834001, India.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
He Y, Zhu M, Lai X, Zhang H, Jiang W. The roles of PD-L1 in the various stages of tumor metastasis. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2024:10.1007/s10555-024-10189-4. [PMID: 38733457 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-024-10189-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
The interaction between tumor programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and T-cell programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) has long been acknowledged as a mechanism for evading immune surveillance. Recent studies, however, have unveiled a more nuanced role of tumor-intrinsic PD-L1 in reprograming tumoral phenotypes. Preclinical models emphasize the synchronized effects of both intracellular and extracellular PD-L1 in promoting metastasis, with intricate interactions with the immune system. This review aims to summarize recent findings to elucidate the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression and the pro-metastatic roles of PD-L1 in the entire process of tumor metastasis. For example, PD-L1 regulates the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, facilitates the survival of circulating tumor cells, and induces the formation of immunosuppressive environments at pre-metastatic niches and metastatic sites. And the complexed and dynamic regulation process of PD-L1 for tumor metastasis is related to the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of PD-L1 expression and functions from tumor primary sites to various metastatic sites. This review extends the current understandings for the roles of PD-L1 in mediating tumor metastasis and provides new insights into therapeutic decisions in clinical practice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yinjun He
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University Medical School, Hangzhou, 310009, China
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang University Medical School, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Ming Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang University Medical School, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Xuan Lai
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang University Medical School, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Honghe Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang University Medical School, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Weiqin Jiang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University Medical School, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang University Medical School, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kopecký J, Pásek M, Lakomý R, Melichar B, Mrazová I, Kubeček O, Arenbergerová M, Lemstrová R, Švancarová A, Tretera V, Hlodáková A, Žváčková K. The outcome in patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma treated with anti-programmed death receptor-1 monotherapy or targeted therapy in the real-world setting. Cancer Med 2024; 13:e6982. [PMID: 38491825 PMCID: PMC10943370 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunotherapy and targeted therapy are currently two alternative backbones in the therapy of BRAF-mutated malignant melanoma. However, predictive biomarkers that would help with treatment selection are lacking. METHODS This retrospective study investigated outcomes of anti-programmed death receptor-1 monotherapy and targeted therapy in the first-line setting in patients with metastatic BRAF-mutated melanoma, focusing on clinical and laboratory parameters associated with treatment outcome. RESULTS Data from 174 patients were analysed. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 17.0 months (95% CI; 8-39) and 12.5 months (95% CI; 9-14.2) for immunotherapy and targeted therapy, respectively. The 3-year PFS rate was 39% for immunotherapy and 25% for targeted therapy. The objective response rate was 72% and 51% for targeted therapy and immunotherapy. The median overall (OS) survival for immunotherapy has not been reached and was 23.6 months (95% CI; 16.1-38.2) for targeted therapy, with a 3-year survival rate of 63% and 40%, respectively. In a univariate analysis, age < 70 years, a higher number of metastatic sites, elevated serum LDH and a neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio above the cut-off value were associated with inferior PFS regardless of the therapy received, but only serum LDH level and the presence of lung metastases remained significant predictors of PFS in a multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Present real-world data document the high effectiveness of immunotherapy and targeted therapy. Although targeted therapy had higher response rates, immunotherapy improved PFS and OS. While the prognostic value of LDH was confirmed, the potential use of blood cell count-derived parameters to predict outcomes needs further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jindřich Kopecký
- Department of Clinical Radiotherapy and OncologyUniversity Hospital in Hradec KraloveHradec KraloveCzech Republic
| | - Marek Pásek
- Department of Dermatovenereology, Third Faculty of MedicineCharles University and Kralovske Vinohrady University HospitalPragueCzech Republic
| | - Radek Lakomý
- Department of Comprehensive Cancer Care, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute and Faculty of MedicineMasaryk UniversityBrnoCzech Republic
| | - Bohuslav Melichar
- Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and DentistryPalacký University and University HospitalOlomoucCzech Republic
| | - Ivona Mrazová
- Department of OncologyCounty HospitalČeské BudějoviceCzech Republic
| | - Ondřej Kubeček
- Department of Clinical Radiotherapy and OncologyUniversity Hospital in Hradec KraloveHradec KraloveCzech Republic
| | - Monika Arenbergerová
- Department of Dermatovenereology, Third Faculty of MedicineCharles University and Kralovske Vinohrady University HospitalPragueCzech Republic
| | - Radmila Lemstrová
- Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and DentistryPalacký University and University HospitalOlomoucCzech Republic
| | - Alžběta Švancarová
- Department of Comprehensive Cancer Care, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute and Faculty of MedicineMasaryk UniversityBrnoCzech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Tretera
- Department of Dermatovenereology, Third Faculty of MedicineCharles University and Kralovske Vinohrady University HospitalPragueCzech Republic
| | - Alžběta Hlodáková
- Department of Clinical Radiotherapy and OncologyUniversity Hospital in Hradec KraloveHradec KraloveCzech Republic
| | - Kamila Žváčková
- Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and DentistryPalacký University and University HospitalOlomoucCzech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Nikas IP, Park SY, Song MJ, Lee C, Ryu HS. Expression of EGFR, PD-L1, and the mismatch repair proteins before and following therapy in malignant serous effusions with metastatic high-grade serous tubo-ovarian carcinoma. Diagn Cytopathol 2024; 52:69-75. [PMID: 37937321 DOI: 10.1002/dc.25248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
AIM To compare the immunochemical expression of EGFR, PD-L1, and the mismatch repair (MMR) proteins MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6 between matched malignant effusions obtained before and following the administration of chemotherapy in patients with high-grade serous tubo-ovarian carcinoma (HGSC). METHODS In the enrolled HGSCs, matched formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded cell blocks (CBs) from effusions sampled before (treatment-naïve patients) and during recurrence (following chemotherapy administration), in addition to their matched HGSC tissues obtained from the ovaries at initial diagnosis (treatment-naïve patients), were subjected to EGFR, PD-L1, and MMR immunochemical analysis. RESULTS EGFR was more often overexpressed in effusions obtained after chemotherapy administration compared to both effusions (100% vs. 57.1%) and their matched tubo-ovarian tumors (100% vs. 7.1%) from treatment-naïve patients, respectively. EGFR immunochemistry was concordant in just 9.1% of the effusions sampled during recurrence and their paired ovarian samples before recurrence. Whereas all HGSC treatment-naïve samples (ovarian lesions and effusions) were PD-L1 negative, 3/11 (27.3%) malignant effusions obtained during recurrence showed PD-L1 overexpression. Lastly, none of the tested HGSC samples exhibited MMR deficiency. CONCLUSION Measuring biomarkers using CBs from malignant effusions may provide clinicians with significant information related to HGSC prognosis and therapy selection, especially in patients with resistance to chemotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ilias P Nikas
- School of Medicine, European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Soo-Young Park
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Ji Song
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheol Lee
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Han Suk Ryu
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Masadah R, Ikram D, Riadi R, Tangdiung Y, Nelwan BJ, Ghaznawie M, Rauf S, Faruk M. CD133, CD47, and PD-L1 Expression in Ovarian High-grade Serous Carcinoma and Its Association with Metastatic Disease: A Cross-sectional Study. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2024; 25:249-255. [PMID: 38285791 PMCID: PMC10911714 DOI: 10.31557/apjcp.2024.25.1.249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Ovarian cancer is a primary cause of cancer-related death in women. At the time of diagnosis, the majority of ovarian malignancies had metastasized. It is believed that cancer stem cells (CSCs) and immune evasion play a crucial role in the metastatic process. The objective of this study was to describe the expression profiles of cluster of differentiation (CD)133, CD47, and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) as commonly utilized markers for CSCs and immune evasion. MATERIAL AND METHODS Using an immunohistochemical procedure, 51 HGSC tissue samples were stained with anti-CD133, anti-CD47, and anti-PDL1 antibodies. The samples contained 31 HGSC with metastases and 20 HGSC absent metastases. The expression of CD133, CD47, and PD-L1 was compared between groups. RESULTS Strong expression of CD133 and CD47 was seen in 52% and 66% of tissue samples, respectively. Twenty of the thirty-one patients with metastases had a significant level of CD133 expression, with a p-value of 0.039. CD47 expression was increased in 26 of 31 samples with metastatic disease. A 62.7 percent of samples were negative for PD-L1 expression, significantly inversely correlated with HGSC metastatic disease (p=0.023). Although there was no significant association between CD133, CD47, or PD-L1 expression and age, Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes demonstrated a significantly varied relationship. CONCLUSION Our findings suggested that expression of CD133, CD47, and PD-L1 may have dynamically increased as the primary lesion progressed to the metastatic lesion, implying that these proteins may be involved in the progression of high-grade serous ovarian cancer from the primary to the metastatic stage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rina Masadah
- Department of Patology Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.
| | - Dzul Ikram
- Department of Patology Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.
- Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Muslim Indonesia, Makassar, Indonesia.
| | - Riadi Riadi
- Department of Patology Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.
| | - Yemima Tangdiung
- Department of Patology Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.
| | - Berti Julian Nelwan
- Department of Patology Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.
| | - Mahmud Ghaznawie
- Department of Pathology Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, Indonesia.
| | - Syahrul Rauf
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.
| | - Muhammad Faruk
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Kim YN, Chung YS, Lee JH, Park E, Lee ST, Kim S, Lee JY. Application of precision medicine based on next-generation sequencing and immunohistochemistry in ovarian cancer: a real-world experience. J Gynecol Oncol 2023; 34:e70. [PMID: 37417298 PMCID: PMC10627761 DOI: 10.3802/jgo.2023.34.e70] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the landscape of gene alterations and immunohistochemistry (IHC) profiles of patients with ovarian cancer for targeted therapy and investigate the real-world experience of applying precision medicine. METHODS Patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer between January 2015 and May 2021 at Severance Hospital and who underwent tumor next-generation sequencing (NGS) were reviewed. Data on germline mutation, IHC markers for mismatch repair deficiency (MMRd), programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression were acquired. The use of matched therapy and its clinical outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS Of the 512 patients who underwent tumor NGS, 403 underwent panel-based germline testing. In patients who underwent both tests, tumor NGS identified 39 patients (9.7%) with BRCA mutations and 16 patients (4.0%) with other homologous recombination repair (HRR)-associated gene mutations, which were not found in germline testing. The most common single nucleotide variants were TP53 (82.2%), ARID1A (10.4%), PIK3CA (9.7%), and KRAS (8.4%). Copy number aberrations were found in 122 patients. MMRd was found in 3.2% of patients, high PD-L1 expression in 10.1%, and HER2 overexpression in 6.5%. Subsequently, 75 patients (14.6%) received a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor based on BRCA mutation and 11 patients (2.1%) based on other HRR-associated gene mutations. Six patients (1.2%) with MMRd underwent immunotherapy. Twenty-eight patients (5.5%) received other matched therapies targeting HER2, fibroblast growth factor receptor, folate receptor alpha, RAS, and PIK3CA. CONCLUSION A comprehensive review of germline mutation, IHC, and tumor NGS helped identify candidates for precision therapy in patients with ovarian cancer, a proportion of whom received matched therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoo-Na Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yun Soo Chung
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Ji Hyun Lee
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Eunhyang Park
- Department of Pathology, Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seung-Tae Lee
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sunghoon Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jung-Yun Lee
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Women's Life Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Liu H, Sun L, Lian J, Wang L, Xi Y, Zhao G, Wang J, Lan X, Du H, Yan W, Bu P, Wang P, Moore A, Zhao H. Comparison of PD-L1 expression and MMR status between primary and matched metastatic lesions in patients with cervical cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:11397-11410. [PMID: 37378674 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05020-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and DNA mismatch repair (MMR) are considered predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy in cervical cancer. However, their expression in primary tumors and metastases does not always match affecting the course of treatment. We investigated the consistency of their expression in primary and matched recurrent/metastatic lesions from patients with cervical cancer. METHODS Primary and matched recurrent/metastatic specimens from patients with recurrent cervical cancer (n = 194) were stained for PD-L1 and MMR (MLHI, MSH6, MSH2, and PMS2) using immunohistochemistry. The degree of consistency of PD-L1 and MMR expression in these lesions was analyzed. RESULTS The inconsistency rate of PD-L1 expression in primary and recurrent/metastatic lesions was 33.0%, and it varied between the recurrence sites. Positive PD-L1 rate in primary lesions was lower (15.4%) than that in recurrent/metastatic lesions (30.4%). The discordance rate of MMR expression between primary and recurrent/metastatic lesions was 4.1%. CONCLUSION We conclude that to use PD-L1 as a predictive biomarker for immunotherapy, analysis of both metastatic and primary lesions may be required. High consistency rate of MMR expression between primary and metastatic lesions suggests that testing primary lesions alone can be sufficient for guiding the course of therapy, thereby solving the difficulty of obtaining recurrent/metastatic specimens in clinic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huizhen Liu
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China
| | - Lixin Sun
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China
| | - Jing Lian
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China
| | - Lixia Wang
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China
| | - Yanfeng Xi
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China
| | - Guohai Zhao
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China
| | - Jiahong Wang
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China
| | - Xiaoyu Lan
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China
| | - Haiyan Du
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China
| | - Wenxia Yan
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China
| | - Peng Bu
- Department of Pathology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China
| | - Ping Wang
- Precision Health Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Department of Radiology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 766 Service Road, Rm. 2022, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Anna Moore
- Precision Health Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Department of Radiology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 766 Service Road, Rm. 2022, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
| | - Hongwei Zhao
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030013, Shanxi, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Miceska S, Škof E, Gašljević G, Kloboves-Prevodnik V. Morphological and Immunocytochemical Characterization of Tumor Spheroids in Ascites from High-Grade Serous Carcinoma. Cells 2023; 12:2390. [PMID: 37830603 PMCID: PMC10572258 DOI: 10.3390/cells12192390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor spheroids in the ascites of high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) are poorly described. Our objective was to describe their morphological features, cellular composition, PD-1 and PD-L1 expression, and survival correlation of these parameters. The density and size of spheroids were assessed in Giemsa-stained smears; the cell composition of spheroids, including tumor cells, immune cells, capillaries, and myofibroblasts, as well as PD-1 and PD-L1 expression on tumor and immune cells was assessed in immunocytochemically stained cell block sections. Forty-seven patients with primary HGSC and malignant ascites were included. A cut-off value for a spheroid density of 10% was established, which significantly predicted overall survival. However, spheroid size did not correlate with survival outcomes. Spheroids were primarily composed of tumor cells, but the presence of lymphocytes and macrophages was also confirmed. Moreover, capillaries were present in the spheroids of three patients, but the presence of myofibroblasts was not confirmed. PD-1 was expressed on lymphocytes but not on tumor cells. PD-L1 expression was seen on both tumor and immune cells, assessed by 22C3 and SP263 antibody clones but not by the SP142 clone. Our results highlight the potential of routine cytopathological techniques to analyze spheroids in HGSC ascites as a valuable tool to investigate their potential as prognostic markers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simona Miceska
- Department of Cytopathology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloška Cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Korytkova Ulica 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Erik Škof
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Korytkova Ulica 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Medical Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloška Cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gorana Gašljević
- Department of Pathology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloška Cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Taborska Ulica 8, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Veronika Kloboves-Prevodnik
- Department of Cytopathology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloška Cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Taborska Ulica 8, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Bartl T, Alberts A, Papadopoulos SC, Wolf A, Muellauer L, Hofstetter G, Grimm C, Cacsire Castillo-Tong D. Biomarkers for checkpoint inhibitor therapy in mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer. Int J Gynecol Cancer 2023; 33:1419-1426. [PMID: 37094966 DOI: 10.1136/ijgc-2023-004360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The prognosis of patients with advanced stage mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer remains poor due to a modest response to platinum-based chemotherapy and the absence of therapeutic alternatives. As targeted approaches may help to overcome these limitations, the present study evaluates biomarkers indicative of potential immune-checkpoint inhibitor therapy response. METHODS All patients who underwent primary cytoreductive surgery from January 2001 to December 2020 and for whom formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples were available were included (n=35; 12 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage ≥IIb). To define sub-groups potentially suitable for checkpoint inhibition, expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (CD3+, CD8+, CD20+, CD45+, CD68+, FoxP3+), and AT-rich interactive domain-containing protein 1A (ARID1A) immunostaining were evaluated in whole tissue sections and compared with clinicopathologic parameters and next-generation sequencing results, where available (n=11). Survival analyses were performed to assess whether identified sub-groups were associated with specific clinical outcomes. RESULTS In total, 34.3% (n=12/35) of tumors were PD-L1 positive. PD-L1 expression was associated with infiltrative histotype (p=0.027) and correlated with higher CD8+ (r=0.577, p<0.001) and CD45+ (r=0.424, p=0.011), but reduced ARID1A expression (r=-4.39, p=0.008). CD8+ expression was associated with longer progression-free survival (hazard ratio (HR) 0.85 (95% CI 0.72 to 0.99), p=0.047) and disease-specific survival (HR 0.85 (95% CI 0.73 to 1.00), p=0.044) in the sub-group with FIGO stage ≥IIb. Three (8.6%) samples demonstrated high PD-L1 expression at a combined positive score of >10, which was associated with increased CD8+ expression (p=0.010) and loss of ARID1A expression (p=0.034). Next-generation sequencing, which was available for all samples with a combined positive score of >10, showed KRAS mutations, BRCA wild-type status, and mismatch repair proficiency in all cases, but did not reveal genetic alterations potentially associated with a pro-immunogenic tumor environment. CONCLUSIONS A sub-group of mucinous ovarian cancers appear to demonstrate a pro-immunogenic tumor environment with high PD-L1 expression, decreased ARID1A expression, and characteristic tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte infiltration patterns. Further clinical validation of anti-PD-L1/PD-1 targeting in selected mucinous ovarian cancers appears promising.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Bartl
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of General Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
- Translational Gynecology Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| | - Anita Alberts
- Translational Gynecology Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| | - Sofia-Christina Papadopoulos
- Translational Gynecology Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| | - Andrea Wolf
- Translational Gynecology Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| | | | - Gerda Hofstetter
- Department of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| | - Christoph Grimm
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of General Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| | - Dan Cacsire Castillo-Tong
- Translational Gynecology Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Fanale D, Brando C, Corsini LR, Cutaia S, Di Donna MC, Randazzo U, Filorizzo C, Lisanti C, Magrin L, Gurrera V, Romano R, Dimino A, Bazan Russo TD, Olive D, Vieni S, Pantuso G, Giordano A, Chiantera V, Russo A, Bazan V, Iovanna JL. Low plasma PD-L1 levels, early tumor onset and absence of peritoneal carcinomatosis improve prognosis of women with advanced high-grade serous ovarian cancer. BMC Cancer 2023; 23:437. [PMID: 37179293 PMCID: PMC10183131 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-10911-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The most common subtype of ovarian cancer (OC) showing immunogenic potential is represented by the high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), which is characterized by the presence of tumor-infiltrating immune cells able to modulate immune response. Because several studies showed a close correlation between OC patient's clinical outcome and expression of programmed cell death protein-1 or its ligand (PD-1/PD-L1), the aim of our study was to investigate if plasma levels of immunomodulatory proteins may predict prognosis of advanced HGSOC women. PATIENTS AND METHODS Through specific ELISA tests, we analyzed plasma concentrations of PD-L1, PD-1, butyrophilin sub-family 3A/CD277 receptor (BTN3A1), pan-BTN3As, butyrophilin sub-family 2 member A1 (BTN2A1), and B- and T-lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) in one hundred patients affected by advanced HGSOC, before surgery and therapy. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate the survival curves, while univariate and multivariate analysis were performed using Cox proportional hazard regression models. RESULTS For each analyzed circulating biomarker, advanced HGSOC women were discriminated based on long (≥ 30 months) versus short progression-free survival (PFS < 30 months). The concentration cut-offs, obtained by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, allowed to observe that poor clinical outcome and median PFS ranging between 6 and 16 months were associated with higher baseline levels of PD-L1 (> 0.42 ng/mL), PD-1 (> 2.48 ng/mL), BTN3A1 (> 4.75 ng/mL), pan-BTN3As (> 13.06 ng/mL), BTN2A1 (> 5.59 ng/mL) and BTLA (> 2.78 ng/mL). Furthermore, a lower median PFS was associated with peritoneal carcinomatosis, age at diagnosis > 60 years or Body Mass Index (BMI) > 25. A multivariate analysis also suggested that plasma concentrations of PD-L1 ≤ 0.42 ng/mL (HR: 2.23; 95% CI: 1.34 to 3.73; p = 0.002), age at diagnosis ≤ 60 years (HR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.70; p = 0.024) and absence of peritoneal carcinomatosis (HR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.23 to 2.85; p = 0.003) were significant prognostic marker for a longer PFS in advanced HGSOC patients. CONCLUSIONS The identification of high-risk HGSOC women could be improved through determination of the plasma PD-L1, PD-1, BTN3A1, pan-BTN3As, BTN2A1 and BTLA levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Fanale
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo, 90127, Italy.
| | - Chiara Brando
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Lidia Rita Corsini
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Sofia Cutaia
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | | | - Ugo Randazzo
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Clarissa Filorizzo
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Chiara Lisanti
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Luigi Magrin
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Vittorio Gurrera
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Raffaella Romano
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Alessandra Dimino
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | | | - Daniel Olive
- Team Immunity and Cancer, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille (CRCM), INSERM U1068, CNRS UMR 7258, Aix-Marseille Université and Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Marseille, France
| | - Salvatore Vieni
- Division of General and Oncological Surgery, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Gianni Pantuso
- Division of General and Oncological Surgery, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Antonio Giordano
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine and Center of Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, PA, Philadelphia, 19122, USA
| | - Vito Chiantera
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Palermo, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Antonio Russo
- Section of Medical Oncology, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, Via del Vespro 129, Palermo, 90127, Italy.
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine and Center of Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, PA, Philadelphia, 19122, USA.
| | - Viviana Bazan
- Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, Palermo, 90127, Italy
| | - Juan Lucio Iovanna
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille (CRCM), INSERM U1068, CNRS UMR 7258, Aix-Marseille Université and Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Parc Scientifique Et Technologique de Luminy, Marseille, 13288, France
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy or combined with other small molecule-targeted agents in ovarian cancer. Expert Rev Mol Med 2023; 25:e6. [PMID: 36691778 DOI: 10.1017/erm.2023.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal female reproductive system tumour. Despite the great advances in surgery and systemic chemotherapy over the past two decades, almost all patients in stages III and IV relapse and develop resistance to chemotherapy after first-line treatment. Ovarian cancer has an extraordinarily complex immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment in which immune checkpoints negatively regulate T cells activation and weaken antitumour immune responses by delivering immunosuppressive signals. Therefore, inhibition of immune checkpoints can break down the state of immunosuppression. Indeed, Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionised the therapeutic landscape of many solid tumours. However, ICIs have yielded modest benefits in ovarian cancer. Therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanistic basis of the immune checkpoints is needed to improve the efficacy of ICIs in ovarian cancer. In this review, we systematically introduce the mechanisms and expression of immune checkpoints in ovarian cancer. Moreover, this review summarises recent updates regarding ICI monotherapy or combined with other small-molecule-targeted agents in ovarian cancer.
Collapse
|
13
|
Alwosaibai K, Aalmri S, Mashhour M, Ghandorah S, Alshangiti A, Azam F, Selwi W, Gharaibeh L, Alatawi Y, Alruwaii Z, Alsaab HO. PD-L1 is highly expressed in ovarian cancer and associated with cancer stem cells populations expressing CD44 and other stem cell markers. BMC Cancer 2023; 23:13. [PMID: 36604635 PMCID: PMC9814309 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-10404-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immune checkpoint inhibitors, including PD-L1 (programmed death ligand-1) inhibitors have well documented anticancer therapeutic effect in most types of cancers but its use in the treatment of ovarian cancer is not yet proven. The aim of our study is to explore the predictive biomarkers in ovarian cancer and its association with the outcomes. We have investigated the role of PD-L1 expressions in the tumor microenvironment cells including immune cells and cancer stem cells in different types of ovarian cancer. METHODS A total of 119 surgical archived ovarian cancer samples were collected from the pathology department at King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia that included serous carcinomas, clear cell carcinomas, mucinous carcinomas, endometrioid carcinomas, and granulosa cell tumors. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed using (i) PD-L1 antibodies to detect PD-L1 expressions; (ii) CD8 and CD4 to detect Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs); and (iii) CD44, LGR5, and ALDH2 to detect stem cell markers. The clinicopathological data were collected from patients' medical record to investigate the association with PD-L1, TILs, and stem cells expressions. RESULTS We report high PD-L1 expressions in 47.8% of ovarian cancer samples. PD-L1 expressions were detected in different types of epithelial ovarian cancer and were not associated with poor prognosis of ovarian cancer. However, determining the expression levels of TILs in the ovarian cancer tissues found that 81% (n = 97) of ovarian cancer samples have TILs that express both of CD8 and CD4 and significantly associated with high PD-L1 expressions. Interestingly, we have found that ovarian cancer tissues with high expressions of PD-L1 were associated with high expressions of stem cells expressing CD44 and LGR5. CONCLUSIONS PD-L1 is highly expressed in the serous type of ovarian carcinomas and the overall expression of PD-L1 is not associated with poor survival rate. Furthermore, PD-L1 expressions are strongly associated with TILs and stem cell markers in ovarian cancer. Inhibiting the PD-L1 using immune checkpoint inhibitors might downregulate stem cell population that known to be associated with cancer recurrence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kholoud Alwosaibai
- grid.415280.a0000 0004 0402 3867Research Center, Biomedical Research Department, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Salmah Aalmri
- grid.415280.a0000 0004 0402 3867Research Center, Biomedical Research Department, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Miral Mashhour
- grid.415280.a0000 0004 0402 3867Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Salim Ghandorah
- grid.415280.a0000 0004 0402 3867Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulraheem Alshangiti
- grid.415280.a0000 0004 0402 3867Department of Medical Oncology, King Fahad Specialist Hospital-Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Faisal Azam
- grid.415280.a0000 0004 0402 3867Department of Medical Oncology, King Fahad Specialist Hospital-Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Waleed Selwi
- grid.415280.a0000 0004 0402 3867Department of Medical Oncology, King Fahad Specialist Hospital-Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lubna Gharaibeh
- grid.116345.40000000406441915Pharmacological and Diagnostic Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan
| | - Yasser Alatawi
- grid.440760.10000 0004 0419 5685Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
| | - Zainab Alruwaii
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Dammam Regional Laboratory and Blood Bank, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hashem O. Alsaab
- grid.412895.30000 0004 0419 5255Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Taif University, P.O BOX 11099, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Zhang Y, Wu J, Zhao C, Zhang S, Zhu J. Recent Advancement of PD-L1 Detection Technologies and Clinical Applications in the Era of Precision Cancer Therapy. J Cancer 2023; 14:850-873. [PMID: 37056391 PMCID: PMC10088895 DOI: 10.7150/jca.81899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Programmed death-1 is a protein found on the surface of immune cells that can interact with its ligand, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), which is expressed on the plasma membrane, the surface of secreted cellular exosomes, in cell nuclei, or as a circulating soluble protein. This interaction can lead to immune escape in cancer patients. In clinical settings, PD-L1 plays an important role in tumor disease diagnosis, determining therapeutic effectiveness, and predicting patient prognosis. PD-L1 inhibitors are also essential components of tumor immunotherapy. Thus, the detection of PD-L1 levels is crucial, especially in the era of precision cancer therapy. In recent years, innovations have been made in traditional immunoassay methods and the development of new immunoassays for PD-L1 detection. This review aims to summarize recent research progress in tumor PD-L1 detection technology and highlight the clinical applications of PD-L1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuanfeng Zhang
- Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong, 264003, China
| | - Juanjuan Wu
- Binzhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong, 256600, China
| | - Chaobin Zhao
- Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong, 264003, China
| | - Shuyuan Zhang
- Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, Shandong, 264003, China
| | - Jianbo Zhu
- Binzhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Binzhou, Shandong, 256600, China
- ✉ Corresponding author: Pro. Jianbo Zhu, Binzhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, 515 Yellow River Seven Road, Binzhou, Shandong, 256600, China; ,
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Kamal IM, Temerik DF, Yassin EH, Mosad E, A H, Hussien MT. Prognostic Outcome of Mesenchymal Transition Biomarkers in Correlation with EGFR Expression in Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma Patients. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2022; 23:4213-4225. [PMID: 36580004 PMCID: PMC9971466 DOI: 10.31557/apjcp.2022.23.12.4213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND CD44 is an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) surface receptor that regulates the interactivity between the cells and the extracellular matrix, thereby promoting cell migration. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family is a trans-membrane kinase-related protein. It regulates cell adhesion proteins, which may promote cell proliferation and invasiveness. Mesenchymal epithelial transition (MET) is another EMT receptor that stimulates cell proliferation, invasion, survival, and angiogenesis. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic impact of CD44, EGFR expressions, and MET gene amplification in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). METHODS This is a retrospective cohort study, including 85 cases of EOC. CD44 and EGFR expressions were evaluated in both epithelial and stromal cells by immunohistochemistry. Tumor cells also underwent a cytogenetic analysis using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to detect MET gene amplification. RESULTS High CD44 expression in tumors was significantly associated with serous subtypes (P=0.001), peritoneal deposits (P=0.002), and advanced stage (P=0.002). EGFR high tumor expression demonstrated a significant association with lymph node metastasis (P=0.038) and the advanced stage of EOC (P=0.016). Increased copy number of the MET gene was significantly associated with partial therapy response (P=0.030). CD44 and EGFR tumor high expression was associated with poor overall survival (OS). In addition, MET gene gain in tumors was associated with a shorter OS (P=0.000). CONCLUSION EMT biomarkers (CD44 and MET) and EGFR expression in EOC are independent prognostic factors for OS. MET gene increase copy number was detected in cases of serous neoplasm and associated with poor survival and minimal therapy response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Israa Mostafa Kamal
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
| | - Doaa F Temerik
- Department of Clinical Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
| | - Etemad H Yassin
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
| | - Eman Mosad
- Department of Clinical Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
| | - Hanan A
- Department of Medical Oncology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut Egypt.
| | - Marwa T Hussien
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt. ,For Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Sangket U, Yodsawat P, Nuanpirom J, Sathapondecha P. bestDEG: a web-based application automatically combines various tools to precisely predict differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from RNA-Seq data. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14344. [PMID: 36389403 PMCID: PMC9657178 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Differential gene expression analysis using RNA sequencing technology (RNA-Seq) has become the most popular technique in transcriptome research. Although many R packages have been developed to analyze differentially expressed genes (DEGs), several evaluations have shown that no single DEG analysis method outperforms all others. The validity of DEG identification could be increased by using multiple methods and producing the consensus results. However, DEG analysis methods are complex and most of them require prior knowledge of a programming language or command-line shell. Users who do not have this knowledge need to invest time and effort to acquire it. Methods We developed a novel web application called "bestDEG" to automatically analyze DEGs with different tools and compare the results. A differential expression (DE) analysis pipeline was created combining the edgeR, DESeq2, NOISeq, and EBSeq packages; selected because they use different statistical methods to identify DEGs. bestDEG was evaluated on human datasets from the MicroArray Quality Control (MAQC) project. Results The performance of the bestDEG web application with the human datasets showed excellent results, and the consensus method outperformed the other DE analysis methods in terms of precision (94.71%) and specificity (97.01%). bestDEG is a rapid and efficient tool to analyze DEGs. With bestDEG, users can select DE analysis methods and parameters in the user-friendly web interface. bestDEG also provides a Venn diagram and a table of results. Moreover, the consensus method of this tool can maximize the precision or minimize the false discovery rate (FDR), which reduces the cost of gene expression validation by minimizing wet-lab experiments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Unitsa Sangket
- Division of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand,Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics Research, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Prasert Yodsawat
- Division of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Jiratchaya Nuanpirom
- Division of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Ponsit Sathapondecha
- Division of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand,Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics Research, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Regulatory T Cells in Ovarian Carcinogenesis and Future Therapeutic Opportunities. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14225488. [PMID: 36428581 PMCID: PMC9688690 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14225488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to play a role in the development of solid tumors. A better understanding of the biology of Tregs, immune suppression by Tregs, and how cancer developed with the activity of Tregs has facilitated the development of strategies used to improve immune-based therapy. In ovarian cancer, Tregs have been shown to promote cancer development and resistance at different cancer stages. Understanding the various Treg-mediated immune escape mechanisms provides opportunities to establish specific, efficient, long-lasting anti-tumor immunity. Here, we review the evidence of Treg involvement in various stages of ovarian cancer. We further provide an overview of the current and prospective therapeutic approaches that arise from the modulation of Treg-related tumor immunity at those specific stages. Finally, we propose combination strategies of Treg-related therapies with other anti-tumor therapies to improve clinical efficacy and overcome tumor resistance in ovarian cancer.
Collapse
|
18
|
Cai W, Zhang Q. The transcription factor ZEB1 mediates the progression of epithelial ovarian cancer by promoting the transcription of CircANKRD17. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 2022; 36:e23086. [PMID: 35521974 DOI: 10.1002/jbt.23086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) is a key transcription factor that regulates the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in various tumors. However, its role in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is far from understood. The present study aimed to explore the role and potential mechanism of action of ZEB1 in EOC. A quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to detect ZEB1 expression levels. The Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, transwell assays, and flow cytometry were used to verify the effects of ZEB1 on the proliferation, invasion, migration, apoptosis, and EMT of EOC, respectively. RNA sequencing identified the effect of knocking down ZEB1 on circular RNAs in EOC cells. Dual-luciferase activity assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments were used to verify the regulatory effect of ZEB1 on the circular RNA ANKRD17 (CircANKRD17; ID: hsa_circ_0007883) at the transcriptional level. Higher ZEB1 expression was found in EOC tissues and cells and was closely related to tumor metastasis, advanced stages, and lower survival rates. Furthermore, silencing ZEB1 inhibited the proliferation, invasion, migration, and EMT of EOC cells but enhanced cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, knockdown of ZEB1 resulted in the greatest downregulation of CircANKRD17 in EOC cells, and ZEB1 significantly promoted the expression of CircANKRD17 and had no significant effect on ANKRD17 messenger RNA expression. Further experiments verified that ZEB1 mediates the regulation of EOC processes by CircANKRD17. Highly expressed ZEB1 promoted proliferation, invasion, migration, and EMT while it inhibited cell apoptosis in EOC by promoting the transcription of CircANKRD17, providing a potential target for the treatment of EOC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wang Cai
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, China
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Nikas IP, Lee C, Song MJ, Kim B, Ryu HS. Biomarkers expression among paired serous ovarian cancer primary lesions and their peritoneal cavity metastases in treatment-naïve patients: A single-center study. Cancer Med 2022; 11:2193-2203. [PMID: 35212471 PMCID: PMC9160817 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background High‐grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC), the most common histologic subtype of ovarian epithelial cancer, is associated with treatment resistance, enhanced recurrence rates, and poor prognosis. HGSOCs often metastasize to the peritoneal cavity, while fluid cytology examination could identify such metastases. This retrospective study aimed to identify potential biomarker discrepancies between paired HGSOC primary tissues and metastatic peritoneal fluid cytology samples, processed as cell blocks (CBs). Methods Twenty‐four pairs of formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded primary tissues and metastatic CBs from an equal number of treatment‐naïve patients were used, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), human epidermal growth factor receptor, programmed cell death‐1 ligand 1 (PD‐L1), and CD147 was applied. Results 13/24 pairs showed discordant EGFR IHC results; in all these 13 patients, EGFR was positive (≥1+ membranous staining intensity found in at least 10% of the cancer cells) in the peritoneal, yet negative in the primary tissue samples. Notably, EGFR IHC was positive in 15/24 of the metastatic, whereas in just 2/24 of the primary HGSOC samples (p < 0.001). Although most PD‐L1 results were concordant, 5/24 and 6/24 pairs exhibited discordant results when stained with the E1L3N and 22C3 clones, respectively. Lastly, CD147 overexpression was found more often in the metastatic rather than the matched primary HGSOCs stained with CD147, though the difference was not significant. Conclusions Cytology from effusions could be considered for biomarker testing when present, even when tissue from the primary cancer is also available and adequately cellular, as it could provide additional information of potential clinical significance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ilias P. Nikas
- School of Medicine, European University CyprusNicosiaCyprus
| | - Cheol Lee
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Min Ji Song
- Center for Medical Innovation, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Bohyun Kim
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Han Suk Ryu
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
- Center for Medical Innovation, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
- Department of Pathology, Seoul National University College of MedicineSeoulRepublic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
PD-L1 near Infrared Photoimmunotherapy of Ovarian Cancer Model. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14030619. [PMID: 35158887 PMCID: PMC8833482 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14030619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Despite advances in surgical approaches and drug development, ovarian cancer is still a leading cause of death from gynecological malignancies. Patients diagnosed with late-stage disease are treated with aggressive surgical resection and chemotherapy, but recurrence with resistant disease is often observed following treatment. There is a critical need for effective therapy for late-stage ovarian cancer. Photoimmunotherapy (PIT), using an antibody conjugated to a near infrared (NIR) dye, constitutes an effective theranostic strategy to detect and selectively eliminate targeted cell populations. (2) Methods: Here, we are targeting program death ligand 1 (PD-L1) using NIR-PIT in a syngeneic mouse model of ovarian cancer. PD-L1 PIT-mediated cytotoxicity was quantified in RAW264.7 macrophages and ID8-Defb29-VEGF cells in culture, and in vivo with orthotopic ID8-Defb29-VEGF tumors. (3) Results: Treatment efficacy was observed both in vitro and in vivo. (4) Conclusions: Our data highlight the need for further investigations to assess the potential of using NIR-PIT for ovarian cancer therapy to improve the treatment outcome of ovarian cancer.
Collapse
|
21
|
Peritoneal Metastasis: Current Status and Treatment Options. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 14:cancers14010060. [PMID: 35008221 PMCID: PMC8750973 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14010060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Surgical and locoregional treatments of peritoneal metastasis, e.g., from colorectal cancer, has gained increasing acceptance after the publication of excellent patient outcomes from many groups around the world. Apart from systemic chemotherapy and surgical removal of the tumor, locoregional therapies such as HIPEC or PIPAC may improve tumor control. Understanding the molecular characteristics of peritoneal metastasis is crucial to evolve future therapeutic strategies for peritoneal metastasis. This includes the genetic background of PM, which is often different from other sites of metastasis, and promotes peritoneal dissemination and the growth of tumor cells. Growing knowledge and insight into the physiology of the peritoneal tumor microenvironment and the specific role of the immune system in this compartment may provide a critical step to move locoregional therapy to the next level. This review summarizes the current knowledge and highlights the molecular characteristics of peritoneal metastasis. Abstract Peritoneal metastasis (PM) originating from gastrointestinal cancer was considered a terminal disease until recently. The advent of better systemic treatment, a better understanding of prognostic factors, and finally, the advent of novel loco-regional therapies, has opened the door for the multimodal treatment of PM. These strategies, including radical surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) showed surprisingly good results, leading to the prolonged survival of patients with peritoneal metastasis. This has triggered a significant body of research, leading to the molecular characterization of PM, which may further help in the development of novel treatments. This review summarizes current evidence on peritoneal metastasis and explores potential novel mechanisms and therapeutic approaches to treat patients with peritoneal metastasis.
Collapse
|
22
|
Sagawa R, Sakata S, Gong B, Seto Y, Takemoto A, Takagi S, Ninomiya H, Yanagitani N, Nakao M, Mun M, Uchibori K, Nishio M, Miyazaki Y, Shiraishi Y, Ogawa S, Kataoka K, Fujita N, Takeuchi K, Katayama R. Soluble PD-L1 through alternative polyadenylation works as a decoy in lung cancer immunotherapy. JCI Insight 2021; 7:153323. [PMID: 34874919 PMCID: PMC8765052 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.153323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint therapy targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis is a novel development in anticancer therapy and has been applied to clinical medicine. However, there are still some problems, including a relatively low response rate, innate mechanisms of resistance against immune checkpoint blockades, and the absence of reliable biomarkers to predict responsiveness. In this study of in vitro and in vivo models, we demonstrate that PD-L1-vInt4, a splicing variant of PD-L1, plays a role as a decoy in anti-PD-L1 antibody treatment. First, we showed that PD-L1-vInt4 was detectable in clinical samples and that it was possible to visualize the secreting variants with IHC. By overexpressing the PD-L1-secreted splicing variant on MC38 cells, we observed that an immune-suppressing effect was not induced by their secretion alone. We then demonstrated that PD-L1-vInt4 secretion resisted anti-PD-L1 antibody treatment, compared with wild type PD-L1, which was explicable by the PD-L1-vInt4's decoying of the anti-PD-L1 antibody. The decoying function of PD-L1 splicing variants may be one of the reasons for cancers being resistant to anti-PD-L1 therapy. Measuring serum PD-L1 levels might be helpful in deciding the therapeutic strategy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ray Sagawa
- Division of Experimental Chemotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seiji Sakata
- Pathology Project for Molecular Targets, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Bo Gong
- Division of Experimental Chemotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yosuke Seto
- Division of Experimental Chemotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ai Takemoto
- Division of Experimental Chemotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satoshi Takagi
- Division of Experimental Chemotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hironori Ninomiya
- Division of Pathology, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Noriko Yanagitani
- Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Cancer Institute Hospital, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masayuki Nakao
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation of Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mingyon Mun
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, Cancer Institute Hospital of Japanese Foundation of Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ken Uchibori
- Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Cancer Institute Hospital, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Makoto Nishio
- Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Cancer Institute Hospital, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasunari Miyazaki
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuichi Shiraishi
- Division of Genome Analysis Platform Development, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seishi Ogawa
- Department of Pathology and Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Keisuke Kataoka
- Division of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naoya Fujita
- Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kengo Takeuchi
- Pathology Project for Molecular Targets, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryohei Katayama
- Division of Experimental Chemotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
PD-L1 Expression in Different Segments and Histological Types of Ovarian Cancer According to Lymphocytic Infiltrate. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2021; 57:medicina57121309. [PMID: 34946254 PMCID: PMC8703734 DOI: 10.3390/medicina57121309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among gynecological tumors. PD-1/PD-L1 immunoregulatory mechanism is activated in ovarian cancers. Lymphocyte infiltration is a significant factor that affects its expression. We analyzed the correlation between localization of lymphocytic infiltrate and PD-L1 expression in epithelial ovarian tumors. Materials and Methods: PD-L1 expression was analyzed in 328 subjects, 122 with epithelial ovarian carcinoma, 42 with atypical proliferative tumor, and 164 with benign epithelial ovarian tumor. Expression in central and invasive tumor parts in epithelial ovarian carcinoma was combined with the most pronounced lymphocyte reaction. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed using the tissue microarray and correlated with a set of histopathology parameters. Results: PD-L1 expression was most prominent in epithelial ovarian carcinoma with different levels of expression observed between invasive and central tumor segments. A high level of PD-L1 expression on tumor cells was more frequently present in the invasive than in the central tumor parts (p < 0.001) only in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC). There was no significant correlation between peritumoral lymphocytic infiltrate and PD-L1 expression regardless of tumor segment. In the central tumor parts of HGSC, there was a correlation of intratumoral lymphocytic infiltrate with a higher level of PD-L1 expression (p = 0.003). Conclusions: The most prominent PD-L1 expression was observed in the invasive tumor parts of HGSC. Only the central parts of the HGSC exhibited significant PD-L1 expression in association with considerable intratumoral lymphocytic infiltrate.
Collapse
|
24
|
Pawłowska A, Kwiatkowska A, Suszczyk D, Chudzik A, Tarkowski R, Barczyński B, Kotarski J, Wertel I. Clinical and Prognostic Value of Antigen-Presenting Cells with PD-L1/PD-L2 Expression in Ovarian Cancer Patients. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:11563. [PMID: 34768993 PMCID: PMC8583913 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The latest literature demonstrates the predominant role of the programmed cell death axis (PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2) in ovarian cancer (OC) pathogenesis. However, data concerning this issue is ambiguous. Our research aimed to evaluate the clinical importance of PD-L1/PD-L2 expression in OC environments. We evaluated the role of PD-L1/PD-L2 in OC patients (n = 53). The analysis was performed via flow cytometry on myeloid (mDCs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and monocytes/macrophages (MO/MA) in peripheral blood, peritoneal fluid (PF), and tumor tissue (TT). The data were correlated with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of OC patients. The concentration of soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1) and PD-1 in the plasma and PF were determined by ELISA. We established an accumulation of PD-L1+/PD-L2+ mDCs, pDCs, and MA in the tumor microenvironment. We showed an elevated level of sPD-L1 in the PF of OC patients in comparison to plasma and healthy subjects. sPD-L1 levels in PF showed a positive relationship with Ca125 concentration. Moreover, we established an association between higher sPD-L1 levels in PF and shorter survival of OC patients. An accumulation of PD-L1+/PD-L2+ mDCs, pDCs, and MA in the TT and high sPD-L1 levels in PF could represent the hallmark of immune regulation in OC patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Pawłowska
- Independent Laboratory of Cancer Diagnostics and Immunology, I Chair and Department of Oncological Gynaecology and Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (A.K.); (D.S.); (A.C.); (I.W.)
| | - Agnieszka Kwiatkowska
- Independent Laboratory of Cancer Diagnostics and Immunology, I Chair and Department of Oncological Gynaecology and Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (A.K.); (D.S.); (A.C.); (I.W.)
| | - Dorota Suszczyk
- Independent Laboratory of Cancer Diagnostics and Immunology, I Chair and Department of Oncological Gynaecology and Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (A.K.); (D.S.); (A.C.); (I.W.)
| | - Agata Chudzik
- Independent Laboratory of Cancer Diagnostics and Immunology, I Chair and Department of Oncological Gynaecology and Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (A.K.); (D.S.); (A.C.); (I.W.)
| | - Rafał Tarkowski
- I Chair and Department of Oncological Gynaecology and Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-081 Lublin, Poland; (R.T.); (B.B.); (J.K.)
| | - Bartłomiej Barczyński
- I Chair and Department of Oncological Gynaecology and Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-081 Lublin, Poland; (R.T.); (B.B.); (J.K.)
| | - Jan Kotarski
- I Chair and Department of Oncological Gynaecology and Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-081 Lublin, Poland; (R.T.); (B.B.); (J.K.)
| | - Iwona Wertel
- Independent Laboratory of Cancer Diagnostics and Immunology, I Chair and Department of Oncological Gynaecology and Gynaecology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (A.K.); (D.S.); (A.C.); (I.W.)
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Battaglia A, Piermattei A, Buzzonetti A, Pasciuto T, Zampetti N, Fossati M, Angelico G, Iacobelli V, Nero C, Iannucci V, Scambia G, Fagotti A, Fattorossi A. PD-L1 Expression on Circulating Tumour-Derived Microvesicles as a Complementary Tool for Stratification of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Patients. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13205200. [PMID: 34680346 PMCID: PMC8534085 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13205200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ovarian cancer (OC) has recently attracted attention for the use of PD-1/PD-L1 axis blocking agents, with durable activity reported only in a subset of patients. The most used biomarker for sensitivity to the PD-1/PD-L1 axis blockade is tumour PD-L1 status by immunohistochemistry. However, patient stratification using this method suffers from intrinsic heterogeneity of OC, likely contributing to the unsatisfactory results obtained so far. Cells communicate with each other by releasing microvesicles (MVs) that carry parental cell surface features. Thus, we hypothesised that PD-L1+ tumour cells (TC) and infiltrating PD-L1+ leukocytes should shed MVs carrying surface PD-L1 that may serve as a proxy for the whole tumour PD-L1 status. RESULTS We showed for the first time the presence of measurable amounts of TC- and leukocyte-derived PD-L1+ MVs (range: 1.4-178.8 MVs/μL and 6.2-504.8 MVs/μL, respectively) in the plasma of high-grade serous OC (HGSOC) patients (n = 63), using a sensitive flow cytometry platform. The concentration of PD-L1+ MVs of either origin did not associate with the PD-L1 status of TCs and leukocytes in the tumour biopsies, suggesting that the circulating PD-L1+ MVs also included ones from locations not selected for immunohistochemistry analysis and represented the PD-L1 status of the whole tumour mass. In this study, we also describe the serendipitous discovery of circulating PD-L1+ MVs of platelet origin (10.3-2409.6 MVs/μL). CONCLUSIONS The enumeration of circulating PD-L1+ MVs in HGSOC patients may provide a novel direction for assessing the tumour PD-L1 status and contribute to HGSOC patient stratification for immunotherapy interventions. The presence of circulating PD-L1+ MVs of platelet origin, a finding not yet reported in HGSOC patients, warrants further studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Battaglia
- Department of Life Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy; (C.N.); (G.S.); (A.F.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Alessia Piermattei
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| | - Alexia Buzzonetti
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| | - Tina Pasciuto
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| | - Nicole Zampetti
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| | - Marco Fossati
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| | - Giuseppe Angelico
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| | - Valentina Iacobelli
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| | - Camilla Nero
- Department of Life Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy; (C.N.); (G.S.); (A.F.)
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| | - Veronica Iannucci
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| | - Giovanni Scambia
- Department of Life Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy; (C.N.); (G.S.); (A.F.)
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| | - Anna Fagotti
- Department of Life Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy; (C.N.); (G.S.); (A.F.)
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| | - Andrea Fattorossi
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy; (A.P.); (A.B.); (T.P.); (N.Z.); (M.F.); (G.A.); (V.I.); (V.I.); (A.F.)
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Maiorano BA, Maiorano MFP, Lorusso D, Maiello E. Ovarian Cancer in the Era of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: State of the Art and Future Perspectives. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:4438. [PMID: 34503248 PMCID: PMC8430975 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13174438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ovarian cancer (OC) represents the eighth most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among the female population. In an advanced setting, chemotherapy represents the first-choice treatment, despite a high recurrence rate. In the last ten years, immunotherapy based on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has profoundly modified the therapeutic scenario of many solid tumors. We sought to summarize the main findings regarding the clinical use of ICIs in OC. METHODS We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Databases, and conference abstracts from international congresses (such as ASCO, ESMO, SGO) for clinical trials, focusing on ICIs both as monotherapy and as combinations in the advanced OC. RESULTS 20 studies were identified, of which 16 were phase I or II and 4 phase III trials. These trials used ICIs targeting PD1 (nivolumab, pembrolizumab), PD-L1 (avelumab, aterolizumab, durvalumab), and CTLA4 (ipilimumab, tremelimumab). There was no reported improvement in survival, and some trials were terminated early due to toxicity or lack of response. Combining ICIs with chemotherapy, anti-VEGF therapy, or PARP inhibitors improved response rates and survival in spite of a worse safety profile. CONCLUSIONS The identification of biomarkers with a predictive role for ICIs' efficacy is mandatory. Moreover, genomic and immune profiling of OC might lead to better treatment options and facilitate the design of tailored trials.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brigida Anna Maiorano
- Oncology Unit, Foundation Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza IRCCS, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy;
- Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Mauro Francesco Pio Maiorano
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Biomedical and Human Oncological Science, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70121 Bari, Italy;
| | - Domenica Lorusso
- Gynecologic Oncology Unit, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, Italy;
- Scientific Directorate, Fondazione Policlinico “A.Gemelli” IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Evaristo Maiello
- Oncology Unit, Foundation Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza IRCCS, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy;
| |
Collapse
|